When the potential extraction of North Sea oil is tied to decreasing carbon emissions through carbon capture utilization and storage activities, members of U.K. focus groups are more likely to support the action, according to a study conducted by Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen and Scottish Carbon Capture & Storage. The researchers assessed how stakeholders and citizens in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and London reacted to various scenarios for oil extraction in the North Sea, including scenarios with an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) aspect.
“We argue that scenarios emphasising maximising oil recovery may be met with scepticism or even opposition, and that there is an expectation for national governments to lead and ensure CO2-EOR (and CCS more generally) are undertaken in the public interest,” the study says.
However, due to increasing societal concerns over a continued reliance on fossil fuels, the researchers argued that “there may be qualified support for CCS with CO2-EOR as making best use of existing fields whilst decarbonising the power and industrial sectors. However, for this support to emerge there is an imperative for coherent and credible policy that positions CO2-EOR firmly within a managed transition towards a low-carbon economy.”
